Outlander Book Club: Written in My Own Heart’s Blood Chapter 40 breakdown

Roger and Buck meet Dougal MacKenzie in Outlander Book 8, Chapter 40

We pick up with the men who turned up at the MacLarens a chapter earlier in Outlander Book 8, Chapter 40. Dougal and his men turn up, and it looks like they’re collecting rent. Could they be of some help in finding Jem?

We see a very different side to Dougal in this chapter. Remember when he came across Claire and immediately thought she was a spy? Well, with Roger and Buck, he’s just curious if they’re ghosts. He is more than willing to help with the search of Jem.

There is also the mention of Geillis, the name given to the woman who lived in the burned-out croft. She has gone to Cranesmuir, and Dougal says that he will search her out the next time he is there. It’s clear that this is some foreshadowing of things to come, and I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.

Then there’s the adaptation. I do expect to see this chapter used in the TV series, and I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section of the post.

Let’s dive into Written in My Own Heart’s Blood Chapter 40.